


This (Whatever Is Between Us) Needs To End

by 00psSwanQueen



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, OUAT - Freeform, Okay Here's Your Happy Ending, Sorry Not Sorry, Swen - Freeform, no happy ending, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:54:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25930153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00psSwanQueen/pseuds/00psSwanQueen
Summary: Emma shows up at Regina’s house to tell her she’s leaving Storybrooke. Emma can’t stand the fact that she’s in over her head with Regina and decides it’s best if she leaves back to Boston.OrEmma caught feelings and is, once again, running from them because she’s an idiot.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





	1. Ending #1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I messed up the timeline like crazy but whatever. A special thanks to Jewel for this concept and for making me abandon like three other WIP’s to write this little one-shot. Jewel, you are a master at making me feel SwanQueen feels and I hate you and love you for it. I hope you enjoy this. Any mistakes are mine and I’ll probably catch them after I post this because I’m an idiot, but f*ck it. Read it and weep, Swen. As an added bonus, I’m posting this two different ways. If you read the first one, you get a happy ending. If you read the second one, not so much. Same story, different endings. Pick your poison, my lovelies.  
>  Love, 00psSwanQueen.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma shows up at Regina’s house to tell her she’s leaving Storybrooke. Emma can’t stand the fact that she’s in over her head with Regina and decides it’s best if she leaves back to Boston. 
> 
> Or
> 
> Emma caught feelings and is, once again, running from them because she’s an idiot.

It started off as a surprise. The first time Regina kissed Emma was a shock. They had just duked it out at the cemetery over the pathetic sheriff, Graham. Regina had followed Emma back to her apartment that she shared with Mary Margret and confronted her. Emma got right back up into Regina’s face, hoping the mayor would strike her again so she could knock the mayor down a few steps and claim self-defense. But instead of a hit, Emma got a kiss. Regina had slammed Emma into the door of her apartment and kissed her fiercely. To say that Emma was shocked would be an understatement. She froze until Regina grabbed her by her hips and pulled her into herself. And the rest was a blur. 

The next morning Emma woke up in a haze. She wondered if the previous night was nothing but a fever dream. She looked around her room and saw an unmistakable bright red thong hanging off of her bedside lamp and a note. She never owned anything like the expensive lace underwear Regina would wear. She knew the night before had happened. And, honestly, she regretted it. How could she have let herself give into the brunette? She sighed and grabbed the note. With an eyeroll she stood from her bed and shuffled to her shared bathroom. 

As she did her business, she read the note and scoffed at the professionalism in which Regina wrote.

“Ms. Swan,  
What happened the night before will not be happening again. Consider last night a moment of misjudgment and a mistake. If you breathe a word of last night’s occurrences to anyone, I will deny its entirety and have your life here ruined beyond repair.  
Regina Mills”

Emma rolled her eyes again and crumbled the note, tossing it in the trash. She stood from the toilet and went to the sink to brush her teeth. Her jaw nearly dropped to the ground as she took account of the numerous lovebites Regina had left on her neck and chest. She nearly growled as she brushed her teeth and got ready for her shift at the police station. She opted for a turtleneck under her regular uniform to hide her night of misfortune with the town’s Mayor. She could only hope that she returned the mayor’s favor and left as many lovebites on her as Regina left on her.  
Her question was answered when the mayor strode into the police station around noon wearing a blood red turtleneck. Emma smirked to herself and winked at the flustered mayor.

Emma hoped it would be the last time she suffered a moment of weakness with the mayor but, boy was she wrong. 

The second time the two fell into bed was when Graham had died. He suffered a heart attack, according the doctors. Henry tried to tell Emma that Regina had killed him. That Graham was waking up and Regina didn’t want anyone to know about the curse. Emma had played along and told him that she was going to talk to Regina.

Emma went to Regina’s house that night after the funeral and confronted the saddened Mayor. It seemed as if Regina was truly hurt by the loss of the sheriff. Emma felt the same way and that’s when Regina had kissed Emma again. Emma saw Regina crumbling. The normally stone-faced mayor cracked and sobbed into Emma’s neck. She begged Emma to take away the hurt and that’s how Emma felt into Regina’s bed. 

Emma had woken up the next morning in the mayor’s bed. She mentally beat herself up for allowing herself to fall into the mayor’s arms once again. Well, she fell in between the mayor’s thighs, but that’s besides the point. She let herself be swayed by the mayor’s tears and went against her better judgement. She shook herself out of her thoughts long enough to hear footsteps approaching the bedroom. She scrambled for her clothes as quietly as possible. She couldn’t let Henry see her in Regina’s room, let alone her bed, naked. She was pulling on her pants and getting ready to jump out the window when the door opened to reveal, Regina.  
Regina just raised an eyebrow at the flustered blonde before informing her that Henry had left for school and that she could use the backdoor to exit instead of throwing herself out of the window.

Emma was actually taken back that Regina had not only made sure Henry wouldn’t see them but actually let her sleep in. Emma looked at the clock on Regina’s nightstand and saw it was well passed ten in the morning. Regina stood awkwardly in the doorway of her room with two mugs of coffee and a nervous look. That was the first real kindness Regina had shown Emma. Emma pulled her tank over her head and scanned the mayor’s features. She walked over to Regina and took the offered cup. Regina informed her that she had more cream and sugar downstairs if she didn’t make the cup to Emma’s liking. There was no sarcastic remark or spite behind the mayor’s words, and this baffled Emma greatly. She followed Regina down the long staircase and a wonderful smell caught her nose. 

Upon entering the kitchen, Emma saw a small breakfast was laid out. Regina said that she had simply made too much this morning so Emma could have what was left. Emma knew the mayor was lying. Her inner lie detector went berserk. She slowly sat down at the bar of Regina’s kitchen and ate. She felt Regina staring a hole in the back of her head as she ate the best scrambled eggs and beacon she ever had. Even the toast was perfect. There was no way Regina had made “too much” that morning.

After the most stressful breakfast she ever endured was over, she offered to wash her plate, but Regina was already ushering her out the back door. She scowled slightly as she told Emma to make sure no one saw her leaving.

Emma all but stomped off to where she parked her bug a few blocks away from the mayor’s house. She cursed under her breath that she couldn’t, wouldn’t, let this happen again.

Again, she was wrong. Nearly a month after that night and strange breakfast, Henry had gone on an adventure in Storybrooke’s old mining tunnels. He went to search for proof that magic was real, and the tunnels collapsed, trapping him and his therapist inside. Regina was a wreck. Her perfect demeanor crumbled and broke. She begged Emma to bring Henry out of those tunnels, alive. She all but begged with her glossy brown eyes. Emma felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She felt a pull towards the mayor. She felt like she needed to this for her. 

When Emma was pulled to the surface with Henry and Archie in tow, Regina cried. It was the first time Emma had seen the mayor break down and sob. Before they could take the harness off Emma and Henry, Regina wrapped them both up in a hug. It took a few seconds for Emma to realize that Regina was hugging her. Before she could return the gesture, Regina pulled away and nodded at her in a formal way, thanking her for bringing her son back to her. Emma scoffed and crossed her arms. She took her harness off and stomped away from the scene. 

That night, Emma was at Granny’s drowning her confusion in alcohol. She groaned as the mayor entered the diner and sat next to her. Emma asked what Regina was doing there but the mayor all but ignored her. Emma puffed her cheeks and about had it with Regina’s mind games. She slammed a few bills down on the counter to cover her drinks and stormed out of the diner. She walked down the alley towards her apartment because she was feeling buzzed and didn’t want to drive. She felt a hand grab her upper arm and turned quickly, pinning the person to the side of a building. Her eyes went wide as she realized her had Regina pinned against the wall. She sighed and let the brunette go, ready to storm off again when Regina grabbed her again and kissed her. 

Emma pushed the brunette off her and glared her down. Regina had that look on her face again. Her stern features were softer, she almost looked like a real person. Regina’s regal posture was lost, and she looked so small. Emma couldn’t let herself do this again. She finally told the mayor no. Regina looked hurt, like genuinely hurt by Emma’s denial. The hurt look only lasted a few seconds before Regina scowled and turned away from the blonde sheriff. 

Now, it was Emma’s turn to feel hurt. But she didn’t understand why she had felt hurt. She went home and laid in her bed thinking about why Regina turning her back to her had hurt her. She’d only ever laid with the mayor when the mayor needed to blow off steam. That much was evident. But why did it hurt that mayor didn’t fight for her? And just like that, Emma sprung up in bed like a jack-in-the-box. Regina didn’t fight for her after she said no. She didn’t push back. But then a new question formed in her troubled head: Why did she care if Regina fought for her? With that question in her mind, she got up from her bed and rushed over to the mayor mansion.  
She banged on the door and waited until a very angry looking brunette answered the door. Emma rushed Regina as soon as the door opened and kissed her. She had a theory and needed conformation. Regina pulled back from Emma and looked at her with distaste before diving back in for another kiss. 

Emma closed the door behind her and slammed Regina against it. Regina wrapped her legs around Emma’s waist and whispered into her ear that Henry was asleep upstairs, so they need to be quiet. Emma bit Regina neck and began to carry her up the large staircase. 

After they finished and Emma was thoroughly fucked into next week, she stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Regina had curled herself into Emma’s side and was currently softly snoring. Emma knew her and Regina needed to talk about this. This was third time they had fallen into bed with one another. And Emma had a feeling that this was more than what it seemed. And that scared Emma greatly. 

Emma woke once again in the mayor’s bed. But this time, Regina was still asleep next to her. Regina had rested her head on Emma’s chest and wrapped her arm around Emma’s midsection. Emma sighed and knew she couldn’t get up and leave without waking the brunette. She slowly pushed a strand of Regina’s hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek gently. 

Regina stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and she met confused green eyes. The mayor closed her eyes for a second and slowly removed her arms from around Emma. She apologized, to which Emma said it was okay. Regina shook her head and sat up in the bed. She turned away from Emma and sighed deeply. 

Emma placed her hand on Regina’s shoulder for support and offered her a tight smile. In that moment, Emma found out the mayor was human and not just a stone-faced monster. Regina cried. Regina bared her soul to Emma. And Emma didn’t know why. Emma stood from the bed and walked around to where Regina was hunched over, sobbing her eyes out. She knelt down and placed her hands on Regina’s bare knees, offering her support. In that moment, Regina pulled Emma in for a kiss. 

Emma was thrown off by the kiss. She broke apart from Regina and just stared into her glossy brown eyes. She saw Regina swallow hard before she confessed. Emma was thrown off. 

“What the hell are you talking about, Regina?!” Emma exclaimed and stood from her kneeling position.

Regina swallowed hard. “It’s all true. I am the Evil Queen. Henry is not crazy. I cursed this town. I cursed everyone because the love of my life was stolen from me.”

Emma fisted her hair and paced in front of Regina’s bed. “What do you mean? Magic is real? My parents are Snow White and Prince Charming? This whole town is a bunch of fairy tale folk?”

Regina nodded. “I thought the only way to find happiness was to take away everyone else’s happiness. But I wasn’t happy. I was never happy.” She sobbed. “Until I got Henry. When I adopted him, he filled a hole in my heart I never thought would be filled again. Then he found you.” She scowled a bit.

“Yeah and?” Emma questioned. “I don’t want to take him away from you, Regina. I told you, I just wanted to make sure he was okay. I see that you love him but why lie to him.” She sighed. “Let’s say for a moment I believe you, about his fairy tale crap. Why would you keep the truth from him? From me?” 

Regina shook her head. “I never wanted him to see all the wrong I’ve done. I took people’s lives. I killed with no regrets. I was a monster. But when I got him, I changed. I didn’t want everyone to suffer. I pushed for David to meet Mary Margret. I let them find each other again. I wanted to be the best for Henry. And when he brought you back, I was so scared because you can break this curse. You can wake everyone up.”

“This is crazy. I can’t believe I’m listening to all this.” Emma rolled her eyes. 

“I’m not crazy. I’ll prove to you I’m telling the truth.” Regina said, then stood. “Meet me at my father’s tomb in an hour. Please.” She nearly begged.

Emma nodded her head and went along with what the mayor said. She left the mansion after dressing with a million questions running through her head. She was most confused as to why her inner lie detector didn’t go off as Regina spun the fairy tale speech. She had chalked up Henry’s failure to set it off due to his young age and being able to believe in everything with his whole heart. But Regina? There’s no way.

Emma met the mayor at the tomb and skeptically followed her inside. Her jaw nearly hit the floor when Regina moved the casket and a staircase was revealed. She kept her hand on her gun as she followed the mayor down into a secret room under the tomb. She heard a thumping. It was low and distant. It almost sounded like a heartbeat. 

Regina walked to a glowing box and pulled out what looked like a beating human heart. “What the fuck, Regina?! Did you cut that out of someone?” Emma pulled her gun and aimed it at Regina.

Regina sighed and felt her magic flow through her veins. This was the only place in this land without magic, that she could call upon her magic. She had enchanted it within the curse to ensure she always had access to some of her power. Just in case the curse ever broke. She could hide out there. She swiped her hand and Emma’s gun flew out of her hand.

“In one sense, I did take it out of someone’s chest. But they still live. It’s called, magic.” Regina sighed.

Emma felt as if she was going to pass out. She was dreaming, right? It was all just a dream. “Regina, no. There is no such thing as magic.” She her head.

“Yes, there is, Emma. Watch.” Regina conjured a fireball and threw it at her hearth to ignite it. 

Emma found a bench in the place and sat down. “Why are you showing me this? Why are you sharing this with me? If you wanted to keep your curse from breaking, why show me? Why inform me?” Emma was confused. And suddenly that feeling was back. That pull at her heart than drew her to Regina. Finally, it all made sense. Regina caught feeling for her and she was on her way to doing the same.

“Emma, I…” Regina started and took the seat next to Emma. “There was always another part of my heart that I thought would never heal. At first, I couldn’t stand you. But the first night we laid together, I felt a spark. I tried to forget but I couldn’t. I was drawn to you. The second time, I thought maybe you felt it too. But when you rejected me the third time, I thought I would forever be searching for something I could never have. But you came back. You found me. Emma…Emma I think…”

“Stop.” Emma interrupted the brunette. “Don’t say it.” She took a deep breath and stood. “I gotta go.” With those words, Emma left the tomb and heard soft sobbing. She felt her heart clench at the sound but forced herself to leave anyway.

Emma drove around the town for a long time before she made up her mind. She couldn’t let herself fall for Regina. What if she broke the curse by accident and caused Regina pain? What if Henry hated her because now, she knew, and she couldn’t tell him, and he found out? She decided she was going to leave Storybrooke for good. She could go back to Boston and maybe Regina would let Henry come stay the weekends or something. She drove back to her apartment and began to pack her things. She put the stuff she couldn’t fit in her bug into a box to be shipped to her apartment in Boston. Then she typed her letter of resignation. She had one last stop to make; Regina’s house.

She drove to the mayor’s large mansion and parked. She couldn’t say goodbye to Henry because she knew it would be too hard. She thought she could just call him later and explain everything. She figured it would be easier. She walked up the short path to Regina’s door and knocked timidly.

Regina answered the door with tears in her eyes. She slowly stepped aside and allowed Emma in.

“Regina, this, whatever is between us, needs to end.” Emma swallow passed the lump in her throat and continued when Regina stayed silent. “I’m sorry, I can’t be what you want. And I’m sorry for ever making you believe so. I don’t want to ruin your life here. This, curse, I don’t want to do something and break it. Then you’d be hurt or worse.” Emma couldn’t say the words, but she saw that Regina understood. 

“I’m sorry too, Emma. I shouldn’t have pushed.” Regina swallowed her tears and placed her hand on Emma shoulder. “Don’t forget about us?” She smiled a tight smile.

“I don’t think I can. But if you ever figure out how to leave this little slice of heaven, look me up in Boston. Maybe your happy ending isn’t here.” Emma shrugged and turned to leave.

Regina caught Emma’s arm and stopped her. “Wait, please.” She whispered.

Emma turned around and face the brunette. Regina got closer to Emma and cupped her cheek. Emma placed her hand over Regina and felt tear sting the backs of her eyes. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Regina.” She whispered.

Regina shook her head and leaned closer to Emma. Emma closed her eyes and felt Regina’s soft lips met her own. She cupped the back of Regina’s head as they kissed for the last time.

Emma gasped as she felt a rush of wind explode from between them. Regina held on to Emma as the gust of wind ripped through the house and the town. She buried her face in Emma’s neck and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Emma stood there, dumbfounded. “We,” she swallowed, “we broke the curse, huh?”

Regina laughed a broken laugh and nodded against Emma’s shoulder. “Yeah.”

Emma wrapped her arms protectively around Regina. “What happens now?”

Regina shrugged for the first time in her life. “Take Henry and go to Boston?”

Emma smiled a little. “I guess so.” 

“I love you.” Regina whispered.

“I love you too.” Emma whispered back. And for the first time in Emma’s life, she didn’t feel the urgent need to run away from her feelings. She happily embraced them and held the mayor, no, Queen, close to her body.


	2. Ending #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma shows up at Regina’s house to tell her she’s leaving Storybrooke. Emma can’t stand the fact that she’s in over her head with Regina and decides it’s best if she leaves back to Boston. 
> 
> Or
> 
> Emma caught feelings and is, once again, running from them because she’s an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is not so happy, lovelies. Read at your own risk.  
>  Love, 00psSwanQueen

It started off as a surprise. The first time Regina kissed Emma was a shock. They had just duked it out at the cemetery over the pathetic sheriff, Graham. Regina had followed Emma back to her apartment that she shared with Mary Margret and confronted her. Emma got right back up into Regina’s face, hoping the mayor would strike her again so she could knock the mayor down a few steps and claim self-defense. But instead of a hit, Emma got a kiss. Regina had slammed Emma into the door of her apartment and kissed her fiercely. To say that Emma was shocked would be an understatement. She froze until Regina grabbed her by her hips and pulled her into herself. And the rest was a blur. 

The next morning Emma woke up in a haze. She wondered if the previous night was nothing but a fever dream. She looked around her room and saw an unmistakable bright red thong hanging off of her bedside lamp and a note. She never owned anything like the expensive lace underwear Regina would wear. She knew the night before had happened. And, honestly, she regretted it. How could she have let herself give into the brunette? She sighed and grabbed the note. With an eyeroll she stood from her bed and shuffled to her shared bathroom. 

As she did her business, she read the note and scoffed at the professionalism in which Regina wrote.

“Ms. Swan,  
What happened the night before will not be happening again. Consider last night a moment of misjudgment and a mistake. If you breathe a word of last night’s occurrences to anyone, I will deny its entirety and have your life here ruined beyond repair.  
Regina Mills”

Emma rolled her eyes again and crumbled the note, tossing it in the trash. She stood from the toilet and went to the sink to brush her teeth. Her jaw nearly dropped to the ground as she took account of the numerous lovebites Regina had left on her neck and chest. She nearly growled as she brushed her teeth and got ready for her shift at the police station. She opted for a turtleneck under her regular uniform to hide her night of misfortune with the town’s Mayor. She could only hope that she returned the mayor’s favor and left as many lovebites on her as Regina left on her.   
Her question was answered when the mayor strode into the police station around noon wearing a blood red turtleneck. Emma smirked to herself and winked at the flustered mayor.

Emma hoped it would be the last time she suffered a moment of weakness with the mayor but, boy was she wrong. 

The second time the two fell into bed was when Graham had died. He suffered a heart attack, according the doctors. Henry tried to tell Emma that Regina had killed him. That Graham was waking up and Regina didn’t want anyone to know about the curse. Emma had played along and told him that she was going to talk to Regina.

Emma went to Regina’s house that night after the funeral and confronted the saddened Mayor. It seemed as if Regina was truly hurt by the loss of the sheriff. Emma felt the same way and that’s when Regina had kissed Emma again. Emma saw Regina crumbling. The normally stone-faced mayor cracked and sobbed into Emma’s neck. She begged Emma to take away the hurt and that’s how Emma felt into Regina’s bed. 

Emma had woken up the next morning in the mayor’s bed. She mentally beat herself up for allowing herself to fall into the mayor’s arms once again. Well, she fell in between the mayor’s thighs, but that’s besides the point. She let herself be swayed by the mayor’s tears and went against her better judgement. She shook herself out of her thoughts long enough to hear footsteps approaching the bedroom. She scrambled for her clothes as quietly as possible. She couldn’t let Henry see her in Regina’s room, let alone her bed, naked. She was pulling on her pants and getting ready to jump out the window when the door opened to reveal, Regina.   
Regina just raised an eyebrow at the flustered blonde before informing her that Henry had left for school and that she could use the backdoor to exit instead of throwing herself out of the window.

Emma was actually taken back that Regina had not only made sure Henry wouldn’t see them but actually let her sleep in. Emma looked at the clock on Regina’s nightstand and saw it was well passed ten in the morning. Regina stood awkwardly in the doorway of her room with two mugs of coffee and a nervous look. That was the first real kindness Regina had shown Emma. Emma pulled her tank over her head and scanned the mayor’s features. She walked over to Regina and took the offered cup. Regina informed her that she had more cream and sugar downstairs if she didn’t make the cup to Emma’s liking. There was no sarcastic remark or spite behind the mayor’s words, and this baffled Emma greatly. She followed Regina down the long staircase and a wonderful smell caught her nose. 

Upon entering the kitchen, Emma saw a small breakfast was laid out. Regina said that she had simply made too much this morning so Emma could have what was left. Emma knew the mayor was lying. Her inner lie detector went berserk. She slowly sat down at the bar of Regina’s kitchen and ate. She felt Regina staring a hole in the back of her head as she ate the best scrambled eggs and beacon she ever had. Even the toast was perfect. There was no way Regina had made “too much” that morning.

After the most stressful breakfast she ever endured was over, she offered to wash her plate, but Regina was already ushering her out the back door. She scowled slightly as she told Emma to make sure no one saw her leaving.

Emma all but stomped off to where she parked her bug a few blocks away from the mayor’s house. She cursed under her breath that she couldn’t, wouldn’t, let this happen again.

Again, she was wrong. Nearly a month after that night and strange breakfast, Henry had gone on an adventure in Storybrooke’s old mining tunnels. He went to search for proof that magic was real, and the tunnels collapsed, trapping him and his therapist inside. Regina was a wreck. Her perfect demeanor crumbled and broke. She begged Emma to bring Henry out of those tunnels, alive. She all but begged with her glossy brown eyes. Emma felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She felt a pull towards the mayor. She felt like she needed to this for her. 

When Emma was pulled to the surface with Henry and Archie in tow, Regina cried. It was the first time Emma had seen the mayor break down and sob. Before they could take the harness off Emma and Henry, Regina wrapped them both up in a hug. It took a few seconds for Emma to realize that Regina was hugging her. Before she could return the gesture, Regina pulled away and nodded at her in a formal way, thanking her for bringing her son back to her. Emma scoffed and crossed her arms. She took her harness off and stomped away from the scene. 

That night, Emma was at Granny’s drowning her confusion in alcohol. She groaned as the mayor entered the diner and sat next to her. Emma asked what Regina was doing there but the mayor all but ignored her. Emma puffed her cheeks and about had it with Regina’s mind games. She slammed a few bills down on the counter to cover her drinks and stormed out of the diner. She walked down the alley towards her apartment because she was feeling buzzed and didn’t want to drive. She felt a hand grab her upper arm and turned quickly, pinning the person to the side of a building. Her eyes went wide as she realized her had Regina pinned against the wall. She sighed and let the brunette go, ready to storm off again when Regina grabbed her again and kissed her. 

Emma pushed the brunette off her and glared her down. Regina had that look on her face again. Her stern features were softer, she almost looked like a real person. Regina’s regal posture was lost, and she looked so small. Emma couldn’t let herself do this again. She finally told the mayor no. Regina looked hurt, like genuinely hurt by Emma’s denial. The hurt look only lasted a few seconds before Regina scowled and turned away from the blonde sheriff. 

Now, it was Emma’s turn to feel hurt. But she didn’t understand why she had felt hurt. She went home and laid in her bed thinking about why Regina turning her back to her had hurt her. She’d only ever laid with the mayor when the mayor needed to blow off steam. That much was evident. But why did it hurt that mayor didn’t fight for her? And just like that, Emma sprung up in bed like a jack-in-the-box. Regina didn’t fight for her after she said no. She didn’t push back. But then a new question formed in her troubled head: Why did she care if Regina fought for her? With that question in her mind, she got up from her bed and rushed over to the mayor mansion.   
She banged on the door and waited until a very angry looking brunette answered the door. Emma rushed Regina as soon as the door opened and kissed her. She had a theory and needed conformation. Regina pulled back from Emma and looked at her with distaste before diving back in for another kiss. 

Emma closed the door behind her and slammed Regina against it. Regina wrapped her legs around Emma’s waist and whispered into her ear that Henry was asleep upstairs, so they need to be quiet. Emma bit Regina neck and began to carry her up the large staircase. 

After they finished and Emma was thoroughly fucked into next week, she stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Regina had curled herself into Emma’s side and was currently softly snoring. Emma knew her and Regina needed to talk about this. This was third time they had fallen into bed with one another. And Emma had a feeling that this was more than what it seemed. And that scared Emma greatly. 

Emma woke once again in the mayor’s bed. But this time, Regina was still asleep next to her. Regina had rested her head on Emma’s chest and wrapped her arm around Emma’s midsection. Emma sighed and knew she couldn’t get up and leave without waking the brunette. She slowly pushed a strand of Regina’s hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek gently. 

Regina stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and she met confused green eyes. The mayor closed her eyes for a second and slowly removed her arms from around Emma. She apologized, to which Emma said it was okay. Regina shook her head and sat up in the bed. She turned away from Emma and sighed deeply. 

Emma placed her hand on Regina’s shoulder for support and offered her a tight smile. In that moment, Emma found out the mayor was human and not just a stone-faced monster. Regina cried. Regina bared her soul to Emma. And Emma didn’t know why. Emma stood from the bed and walked around to where Regina was hunched over, sobbing her eyes out. She knelt down and placed her hands on Regina’s bare knees, offering her support. In that moment, Regina pulled Emma in for a kiss. 

Emma was thrown off by the kiss. She broke apart from Regina and just stared into her glossy brown eyes. She saw Regina swallow hard before she confessed. Emma was thrown off. 

“What the hell are you talking about, Regina?!” Emma exclaimed and stood from her kneeling position.

Regina swallowed hard. “It’s all true. I am the Evil Queen. Henry is not crazy. I cursed this town. I cursed everyone because the love of my life was stolen from me.”

Emma fisted her hair and paced in front of Regina’s bed. “What do you mean? Magic is real? My parents are Snow White and Prince Charming? This whole town is a bunch of fairy tale folk?”

Regina nodded. “I thought the only way to find happiness was to take away everyone else’s happiness. But I wasn’t happy. I was never happy.” She sobbed. “Until I got Henry. When I adopted him, he filled a hole in my heart I never thought would be filled again. Then he found you.” She scowled a bit.

“Yeah and?” Emma questioned. “I don’t want to take him away from you, Regina. I told you, I just wanted to make sure he was okay. I see that you love him but why lie to him.” She sighed. “Let’s say for a moment I believe you, about his fairy tale crap. Why would you keep the truth from him? From me?” 

Regina shook her head. “I never wanted him to see all the wrong I’ve done. I took people’s lives. I killed with no regrets. I was a monster. But when I got him, I changed. I didn’t want everyone to suffer. I pushed for David to meet Mary Margret. I let them find each other again. I wanted to be the best for Henry. And when he brought you back, I was so scared because you can break this curse. You can wake everyone up.”

“This is crazy. I can’t believe I’m listening to all this.” Emma rolled her eyes. 

“I’m not crazy. I’ll prove to you I’m telling the truth.” Regina said, then stood. “Meet me at my father’s tomb in an hour. Please.” She nearly begged.

Emma nodded her head and went along with what the mayor said. She left the mansion after dressing with a million questions running through her head. She was most confused as to why her inner lie detector didn’t go off as Regina spun the fairy tale speech. She had chalked up Henry’s failure to set it off due to his young age and being able to believe in everything with his whole heart. But Regina? There’s no way.

Emma met the mayor at the tomb and skeptically followed her inside. Her jaw nearly hit the floor when Regina moved the casket and a staircase was revealed. She kept her hand on her gun as she followed the mayor down into a secret room under the tomb. She heard a thumping. It was low and distant. It almost sounded like a heartbeat. 

Regina walked to a glowing box and pulled out what looked like a beating human heart. “What the fuck, Regina?! Did you cut that out of someone?” Emma pulled her gun and aimed it at Regina.

Regina sighed and felt her magic flow through her veins. This was the only place in this land without magic, that she could call upon her magic. She had enchanted it within the curse to ensure she always had access to some of her power. Just in case the curse ever broke. She could hide out there. She swiped her hand and Emma’s gun flew out of her hand.

“In one sense, I did take it out of someone’s chest. But they still live. It’s called, magic.” Regina sighed.

Emma felt as if she was going to pass out. She was dreaming, right? It was all just a dream. “Regina, no. There is no such thing as magic.” She her head.

“Yes, there is, Emma. Watch.” Regina conjured a fireball and threw it at her hearth to ignite it. 

Emma found a bench in the place and sat down. “Why are you showing me this? Why are you sharing this with me? If you wanted to keep your curse from breaking, why show me? Why inform me?” Emma was confused. And suddenly that feeling was back. That pull at her heart than drew her to Regina. Finally, it all made sense. Regina caught feeling for her and she was on her way to doing the same.

“Emma, I…” Regina started and took the seat next to Emma. “There was always another part of my heart that I thought would never heal. At first, I couldn’t stand you. But the first night we laid together, I felt a spark. I tried to forget but I couldn’t. I was drawn to you. The second time, I thought maybe you felt it too. But when you rejected me the third time, I thought I would forever be searching for something I could never have. But you came back. You found me. Emma…Emma I think…”

“Stop.” Emma interrupted the brunette. “Don’t say it.” She took a deep breath and stood. “I gotta go.” With those words, Emma left the tomb and heard soft sobbing. She felt her heart clench at the sound but forced herself to leave anyway.

Emma drove around the town for a long time before she made up her mind. She couldn’t let herself fall for Regina. What if she broke the curse by accident and caused Regina pain? What if Henry hated her because now, she knew, and she couldn’t tell him, and he found out? She decided she was going to leave Storybrooke for good. She could go back to Boston and maybe Regina would let Henry come stay the weekends or something. She drove back to her apartment and began to pack her things. She put the stuff she couldn’t fit in her bug into a box to be shipped to her apartment in Boston. Then she typed her letter of resignation. She had one last stop to make; Regina’s house.

She drove to the mayor’s large mansion and parked. She couldn’t say goodbye to Henry because she knew it would be too hard. She thought she could just call him later and explain everything. She figured it would be easier. She walked up the short path to Regina’s door and knocked timidly.

Regina answered the door with tears in her eyes. She slowly stepped aside and allowed Emma in.

“Regina, this, whatever is between us, needs to end.” Emma swallow passed the lump in her throat and continued when Regina stayed silent. “I’m sorry, I can’t be what you want. And I’m sorry for ever making you believe so. I don’t want to ruin your life here. This, curse, I don’t want to do something and break it. Then you’d be hurt or worse.” Emma couldn’t say the words, but she saw that Regina understood. 

“I’m sorry too, Emma. I shouldn’t have pushed.” Regina swallowed her tears and placed her hand on Emma shoulder. “Don’t forget about us?” She smiled a tight smile.

“I don’t think I can. But if you ever figure out how to leave this little slice of heaven, look me up in Boston. Maybe your happy ending isn’t here.” Emma shrugged and turned to leave.

Emma opened the door to the mansion and walked the short path back to her bug. “See you around, Regina.” She called over her shoulder before getting her car. She started the little yellow bug and drove off to leave the town. As she drove, she felt her heart break a little more. She knew Regina would never leave Storybrooke. Somewhere deep down, in her very soul, she knew that was the last time she was going to see the brunette.


End file.
